First Grain of Sand — Page 52
36 FIRST GRAIN OF SAND would very kindly and happily give me the food. Many times, one of my cellmates would tell them to leave the food and he would ensure that I received it, but the women would refuse to give it to anyone other than me. When I was first brought to this cell, I took one of the mats from my bed and gave it to a Muslim cellmate friend and gave a blanket to a Russian inmate because he did not have anything to lay on. This Russian man's name was Макар [pronounced Makar], and when I would wake up in the middle of the night for Tahajjud Prayers, I would place my comforter on top of him to prevent him from getting cold. I did this for my cellmates in any prison I was sent to, and I noticed how big of an impact it has on others. Likewise, when I received the daily special food that was being delivered to me, I would share about half of it with those cellmates who I could tell needed it the most, while keeping half for myself. Often if I felt that any of my cellmates really wanted the food or were very hungry, I would give it all to them. As soon as I arrived at Tashkent, I began memorizing addi- tional portions of the Holy Quran, while also secretly learning to speak more Russian. There were Muslim, Armenian, and Russian inmates in the cells surrounding my cell who took a keen interest in me having noticed my different attire, my efforts to memorize the Quran, my frequent and extensive observance of Prayers, and my general silence. My behaviour was so unlike any other prisoner that it sparked a curiosity in them to find out who this man is, where is he from, and why has he been brought to this prison. There were two rows of cells in this prison, with a walkway in between. Every prisoner was given thirty minutes twice a day to go for a walk in this walkway. Every time I would go out for